Maruti to up sales outlets to 1,500 in 5 years

Maruti Suzuki is planning to nearly double sales outlets to 1,500 in the next five years, a top official of the company said on Thursday.

The company has 828 sales outlets and there are plans to double them in the next five years, general manager (marketing and sales) Partho Banerjee told reporters in Kochi.

The endeavour of Maruti was to have presence in all districts and taluks.

"We try to identify the socio-economic conditions of a particular area, two-wheeler sales and based on that work-out a strategy to start outlets," he said.

Maruti, which sells 8,000 cars per month in Kerala, is aiming to increase its sales outlets in the state to 100 in the next five years from the present 59, he said.

On exports, he said 150,000 vehicles were shipped overseas last year.

Of the total 80 per cent was A-star with bulk of the exports going to European countries.

The company also launched Alto-K10, which comes with improved suspension, new cable type transmission, superior brake system and more knee room for rear seat passengers, in the Kerala market on Thursday.

The existing Alto clocks average sales of over 20,000 units every month, Banerjee told reporters.

On sale targets this year, he said one million Maruti cars were sold last year. "We have capacity constraints, but our endeavour is to better it."

In the first quarter of this fiscal, there has been 26 per cent growth for the entire industry, he said.

The New Alto is priced at Rs 302,000 for the LXI version and Rs 315,000 (ex-showroom Kochi) for the VXI version.